Cattle fly-trap house.



No. 642,399. Patented Ian. so, 1 900.

' B. M. WHITE & w. L. CDVINGTON.

CATTLE FLY TRAP HOUSE.

(Application filed Sept. 2, 1899., (No Model.)

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P TENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN M. WHITE AND WALTER L. OOVINGTON, OF MONTGOMERY oITY,

'MIssoURr.

CATTLE FLY-TRAP HousE.

sPEoIE'IcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,399, dated January 30, 1966.

pp n fi September 2,1899. Serial No. 729,385. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN 'M. WHITE and WALTER L. COVINGTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Montgomery City, in the county of Montgomery and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cattle Fly-Trap Houses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a building or inclosed hall or passage-Way for stock, particularly cattle, wherein is provided means for removing flies from the stock and catching and exterminating the flies.

I Cattle-buildings have been provided with fly-catchers and various devices for sweeping the flies from the cattle in their passage through the buildings; but in all such devices known to us there is no, provision made to prevent fully the escape of the flies through the entrance and exit for the cattle, nor do such devices possess our means for attracting the flies to the trap, the special construction of the latter, or the peculiar shape of the building.

It is to overcome the above objections and diiflculties and to provide a building of poculiar construction containing novel means for removing the flies from animals, special means for preventing the flies escaping through the entrance and exit, and an exterminating attracting fly-trap that our invention is intended.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, Figurel is a perspective view of our invention with one side of the building removed. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section of the cross-frame from which the doors are hung. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the fly-catcher. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the bottomof the fly-catcher.

The same numeral references denote the same parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The passage hall or building is rectangular in shape and of sufficient width to permit the passage of the cattle or animals in single file. It is constructed of end uprights 1, certain of which form an entrance 2 and to the others of which is secured the end closure 3. Longer uprights 4 are connected to the said end uprights 1 and together by longitudinal base-pieces 5, cross base-pieces 6, and

upper longitudinal timbers 7. The uprights 4: extend to the top of the slanting roof 8 and support the fly-catching frame 9, the roof thus slanting downwardly from the top of the uprights 4 to the top of the uprights 1, making the incline of the roof in the direction of the length of the building and affording a high central portion upon which is secured a glass fly-house 10, one side or end of which is adapted to be opened by sliding or swinging it for the removal of dead flies, the latter being killed in the air-tight closure of the house by directing sulfur fumes into it.

The fly-catching frame 9 has upward projections 11, to which is secured the central portion of the Wire-gauze 12, the edges of the gauze being secured to the said frame 9 at the juncture of the two houses. This gives a conical shape to the gauze. A gauze stack 13 projects upward from the projections 11, to which the stack is secured, and opens into the glass house from the central opening in the conical gauze 12, forming the entrance for the flies as they are attracted by the light house, which is the only light visible to them from the whole building. This conical gauze and the gauze stack constitute the fly-catcher and, with the glass house, hold the flies from escaping.

Swinging doors 14 are hung from the crosspieces 6 and have a portion cut away in approximately the shape of ordinary cattle and are provided with ratan, bristles, or other suitable material 15 of sufficient stiffness to reach through the hair'of the animal to the hide, where flies of certain character, particularly the black fly, locate. These doors have a cord 16, one end of which is secured to the top of the doors, whence it is passed through an opening 17 in the cross-beam 18 over a pulley 19 in the top cross-frame 20 and has its other end provided with a weight 21 for closing the doors.

Near the entrance 2 is secured to and depending from the roof a dark shield 22, its lower portion being fixed to the longitudinal timbers 7 and projecting below them a sufficient distance to just clear the backs of the cattle. This shield prevents any light entering the main portion of the building from the entrance, which would attract the flies back to the latter, and darkens the ap proach to the central portion of the building. A like shield 23 is likewise secured just in side of the exit 24, which is in one side 25 of the building, and prevents any light coming from the exit to the tower or central portion of the building. These shields and the bristle doors, together with the outer doors and the closed-in sides of the building, make the latter so dark in contrast to the perfectly-1i ghted fly-house that the flies will make for the flyhouse from all parts of the'building and be caught in the trap located in the light house, where they will fall upon the conical gauze and against the glass in their attempt to escape.

It is obvious that the cattle are driven in the house in single file, and in their passage through the bristle doorsall flies are removed and the latter attracted to the trap by the light house.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A house for the removal of flies from cattle and the like, comprising a rectangular inclosed structure having a roof slanting in the direction of the length of the house, an entrance-door at one end of the roof, and exitdoor at the other end of the roof in the side of the house, bristle swinging doors between the entrance and exit doors, and a glass-inclosed fiy-catcher in communication with the interior of the house and secured upon the top of the latter between the roof portions, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the house having closed sides, one of which is provided with an exit-door, a closed end, an entrance-door in the other end, roof portions slanting in the direction of the length of the house, and swinging doors provided with fly-removing material, and located between the exit and entrance doors, of the shields depending from the roof outside of the swinging doors, a light house secured between the said roof portions, and a fiy-catcher in the light house in communication with the latter and with the compartment between the swinging doors, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the inclosed cattle-house having swinging doors provided with fly'removing material and located between the entrance and exit of the house, shields upon the outside of the swinging doors, roof portions slanting in the direction of the length of the house, and a light house secured between the roof portions, of a fiy-catcher comprising a gauze wire having a raised central portion provided with an opening, the

edges of the wire being secured at the juncture of the two houses, and a wire-gauze stack projecting upward from said opening, as set forth.

In witness whereof we hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN M. WHITE. WALTER L. COVINGTON. Witnesses:

B. M. SIsK, W. A. MAXEY. 

